Fairy Princess
by JessieJay13
Summary: Arya Elias has always been different and afraid that people will mark her if they knew Until she met Harry She finds friendship and love at Hogwarts as well as finding out about herself her mother and a secret prophecy. OVER 1900 READS! YAY!
1. Chapter 1

**CHAPTER 1**

Arya opened the letter with trembling fingers. She hardly dared hope that it was what it was. Hogwarts was beyond her wildest dreams, and this was the acceptance letter. She had seen her half-sister, Kayla, get the same one the year before.

Kayla was only her half-sister because she was full human. Arya was half fairy and half human. She had been rejected by the fairy clan of her mother, the one she should belong to, so she had gone to live with her father in the human world.

'_We are proud to announce…'_

That was all she needed to read. She knew she was in. Arya had known she had powerful magic but she wasn't sure if it was the kind of magic that would get her into Hogwarts. Now that she was in, her heart felt like it had wings. And she couldn't keep them in anymore.

Thin, glittering membranes sprang from her back, spreading to a span of five feet. They were sparkling, multifaceted wings. Her eyes clouded over, turning a pearlescent black. The wings beat once, lifting Arya from the ground in a cloud of dust, and another beat propelled her out the open back door.

She soared high up into the air, spreading her wings to their fullest extent. She flipped and twirled, venting her excitement the only way she could.

'Arya!' her father called. She looked down at the tiny pinpoint that was her father. She sighed, some of her excitement draining, and circled slowly down to her father. She knew she was in trouble now.

'Arya, you know it's dangerous to let yourself go in the daylight,' he lectured as she floated lower on a downdraft. Arya alighted in front of him, her eyes clearing to their usual vivid green and her wings welding back into her.

'I'm sorry, daddy, I was just so excited I couldn't help it,' she apologized. 'I got in!' she announced, jumping up and down, her arms above her head and he face bright with glee.

'To Hogwarts?' he asked, just as excited at the prospect. She nodded, squealing and twirling in a big circle. 'That's great, honey, that's wonderful! We'll have to go to Diagon Ally and get you books and your uniform and your wand and some money to get you through the school year. Do you want to stay there over the holidays?' he rattled on. Arya stopped spinning, a little dizzy. She shook her head to clear it.

'That,' she answered, tapping him on the shoulder playfully as she walked past him and into the living room. 'will depend on how many friends I have and if they are staying. And if you're on my good side when the holidays come around.'

'Okay, honey,' he said, following her in. 'Toad, owl, or cat?'

'Mm…cat now, owl later. I'll buy the owl myself,' she said, tingly all over at the prospect of warm, cuddly pets. As a fairy, she had a great liking, and respect, for nature and the creatures that shared their habitat.

'Great,' her father said, hopping up, unable to stay in his seat. 'We'll go tomorrow. At Hogwarts, stay close to Kayla at first, work diligently, and have fun.'

'That's contradictory, dad. Work and fun just don't mix,' she laughed.

Arya ran a comb through her waist-length black hair, relishing its smoothness. She smiled at herself in the mirror above her vanity set. She had an exotic beauty to her, one that no one could ever place, and she knew it. It was fairy beauty

Arya had deep emerald eyes, the color of leaves after rain, under thin, sculpted brows and framed by thick, long lashes. She had a thin, majestic face with high cheekbones and a small, straight nose that turned up at the end a bit. She had full lips and straight, white, shining teeth. All of it was surrounded by glistening black waves of hair.

'What's the occasion?' came a voice from behind her. Arya turned to see Kayla grinning at her, leaning against the doorframe. Kayla had hair the color of ripe hay, golden, cut so that it fell to her shoulders in tight curls. Her eyes were a dark, intelligent brown and she was very pretty, in the human way.

'I'm coming with you this year,' Arya said. Kayla looked confused. 'To Hogwarts,' she explained, as though her meaning should have been obvious.

'Oh, that's great! I want you to meet all of my friends. Oh, I hope you're in Ravenclaw,' she squeaked, flopping down on Arya's bed, sighing contentedly. She had been bursting with curiosity but she had held it in for fear of Arya not being accepted. Now she could relax and celebrate.

'I want to be in Ravenclaw but I wouldn't complain if I was in Gryffindor,' Arya said, collapsing on the bed beside Kayla and pulling her up into a sitting position. 'Do you think people will like me? Will they notice…my difference?'

'No,' Kayla said reassuringly. 'You would need to know about it before hand to notice it at all. People will love you. You're beautiful and talented and nice and funny and sweet. You'll be very popular at Hogwarts. Like me!' she joked.

Arya sighed with relief. Kayla's opinion carried a lot of weight with her and alleviated many of her fears. 'Me and dad are going to Diagon Ally today. You can come if you want to,' she offered. Kayla smiled and nodded. 'Be ready in fifteen minutes.'

'Okay. Hope I'll see some of my friends,' Kayla said, running out of the room to get ready. Arya put on clean clothes and some lip gloss, and checked her hair. Then she went out to the living room to meet with her half-sister and father.

Her father was searching around the hearth, having misplaced the floopowder yet again, and Kayla was lounging on the couch, waiting impatiently and twirling her wand in her fingers.

'There you are, Arya! Took you long enough. I've been ready for like ten minutes,' Kayla said, annoyed.

'Uh, honey? Do you know where the floopowder is? I've lost it again,' her father asked, glancing up briefly and then returning to his search.

'Under the coffee table, dad,' she said, pulling out the pouch of sparkly green powder and throwing it to him. He caught it on reflex and he nodded his appreciation.

'Can we go now?' Kayla whined, standing up and stowing her wand in the pocket of her pink cargo pants.

'Hold your horses, will you?' her dad said. He took a pinch of the floopowder, said, 'Diagon Ally,'. In a blast of green fire, he was gone.

'The honor is yours, Arya,' Kayla said, chuckling, taking a step back and bowing to her. Arya rolled her eyes, took a pinch of the green sand, and stepped into the, now cold again, fireplace.

'Diagon Ally,' she said, speaking clearly so as not to be mistaken as to her meaning. Emerald flames sprang up around her, pleasantly warm and tingly. She was spinning fast so she tucked in her elbows and closed her eyes against the whirling soot.

The spinning stopped and Arya tumbled out into the hustle and bustle of Flourish and Blotts, the biggest bookshop in Diagon Ally. She stood and dusted the soot off of her jeans and pink floral tank top. Then she hurried over to Kayla, who was chatting animatedly to a girl with curly brown hair and dark blue eyes.

'Hey, Kayla,' she said cheerfully, bounding over to the pair of them. 'Where's dad?'

'Over there buying your books,' she replied. 'Marie, this is my sister, Arya. Arya, this is Marie,' she introduced, pushing Arya in front of her. Arya shook Marie's hand, smiling timidly.

'Hello, Arya,' Marie said, smiling back at her. 'Kayla tells me you'll be coming to Hogwarts this year. Hope you're in Ravenclaw!'

'Me, too,' Arya said. 'Well, I've got to find my dad. See you at Hogwarts.' She waved goodbye as she ran over to her father, who was standing in a long line of people waiting to check out.

'Hey, sweetie, just getting your books,' he said as she approached. He was panting from the strain of holding the tottering pile of spell books

'Dad, you're a wizard! Levitate those books or something before you hurts yourself,' Arya advised, sniggering. Her dad did so, wearing a sour look on his face. He pulled some galleons out of his pockets, now that his hands were free, and transferred them to hers.

'Go get your robes. Madame Malkin's Robe Shop,' he instructed. Arya nodded, pocketing the money, and walked out the door onto a crowded street filled with hundreds of people of all shapes, sizes and kinds. The air rang with voices and the sounds of shoes echoing on cobbled streets, but it was the shops that interested Arya.

There were apothecaries, bookshops, cauldron shops, Mr. Ollivander's wand shop, pet stores, Gringott's Wizarding Bank, every store that you could think of. Their windows held brightly colored displays, with brightly colored people surrounding them. The street was packed and it took a while for Arya to find Madame Malkin's Robe Shop.

Arya pushed open the door and stepped into the brightly lit interior of the shop. There were racks and racks of robes and a squat, smiling woman dress all on mauve. Madame Malkin strode over and ushered her to the back of the store.

'Hogwarts, dear? We have two young men getting fitted as we speak,' she said, her voice pleasant and maternal. She stood Arya up on a stool, slid some robes over her head, and began to pin them to the right length.

On stools next to her were two boys. One had messy, black hair and emerald eyes, just like hers. The other had sleek, blonde hair and icy blue eyes. They were talking about their lineage, a subject that had always made her uncomfortable.


	2. Chapter 2

**CHAPTER 2**

Harry Potter winced as a pin was accidentally stuck in his side, then frowned at the haughty blonde boy, Draco Malfoy, next to him. He was blathering on about pure bloodlines and how 'impure' people, like Harry, shouldn't be allowed into Hogwarts. He didn't know who Harry was yet, Harry hadn't told him. And Harry was liking the boy less and less every second.

Promptly, a nervous-looking girl was steered into the fitting room, stood up on a stool, and had pin-filled robes pulled over her head as well. Harry sighed in relief. Finally he would have someone, anyone, to talk to who wasn't so snobbish! The girl turned at the sound and Harry's breath caught in his throat.

The girl's eyes were a beautiful shade of deep, emerald green, very much like his own. She was beautiful. She had a delicate, regal bone structure, a petite nose and full lips. Her hair was a pure, genuine black, like a raven's wing, and fell around her shoulders in gentle waves down to her waist. The girl smiled at him, showing off dazzlingly white teeth, and Harry's heart skipped a beat.

'Are you ignoring me?' Malfoy asked irately, obviously outraged at being disregarded, tapping Harry on the shoulder.

Harry brushed his hand away, never taking his eyes off the girl, and replied, 'Yes, I am,' blankly. Malfoy made a noise of offense and turned around to pout.

'Hi,' Harry said breathlessly to the girl. She smiled, looking down slightly, and blushed at his tone.

'Hi yourself,' she answered back shyly. 'So, what's your name? And who is that guy?' she added in a whisper, her voice speaking of distaste.

'Oh, that's Draco Malfoy,' Harry answered, his tone echoing hers. 'And I'm Harry. Harry Potter. What's your name?' The girl didn't answer immediately. She gaped at him for a second, then she shook herself and tried not to look amazed. She could see the attention was making him uncomfortable. She tried to look relaxed.

'I'm Arya. Arya Elias,' she answered, succeeding in keeping the excitement from meeting the famous Harry Potter out of her voice. 'Nice to meet you,' she said, holding out her hand for him to shake. He did so and smiled at her. 'Are you going to Hogwarts?'

'Yeah,' he answered. 'First year. You?' She nodded. 'It's really worrying, isn't it? This is really only my second day knowing the magic world even existed! This is the first time I've ever experienced magic of any kind. Well, intentional magic, that is. I've used accidental magic before and that didn't turn out so well. I accidentally set myself on the roof of my school once. And I set a python on my horrible cousin,' he chuckled. Then he blushed, realizing he was rambling.

'Really? This is the first you've heard of magic? How can that be? You know, with you being 'the famous Harry Potter'?' she asked, adding air quotes to try to show that she wasn't going to fawn over him like most girls would. She would treat him like anyone else.

'All done, dearies!' Madame Malkin said cheerfully. She pulled the robes off over their heads, wrapped them, and handed them back. They paid for their outfits and walked together back toward Flourish and Blotts. They sat outside of an ice cream shop, Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlor, so that Harry could answer her question. He looked a little nervous. He had obviously never spoken to a girl before, or at least not about himself.

'Well, when my parents died, I was left in the care of my aunt and uncle and cousin, the Dursleys, horrible muggles who hate everything magical. They raised me my entire life, hiding magic from me and punishing me whenever I did something on accident. I lived in a cupboard under the stairs for ten years while my cousin had two bedrooms, one for him and one for all his toys! On my eleventh birthday, yesterday to be exact, a giant named Hagrid came to get me from the Dursleys and take me to Hogwarts. Now the Dursleys are scared of me and leave me alone but it does get a little lonely, you know? I don't have any friends at all. Everyone's scared of my cousin and think that he'll beat them up if they speak to me, which he probably would. But you wouldn't have to worry about that. What's your background?' he asked.

Arya sat for a moment, processing all he had just told her. He seemed so vulnerable and naïve, traits no one ever thought of when they heard of 'The Boy Who Lived'. They thought of brave and strong and heroic but here was a small boy with glasses and messy hair who had no idea how famous he really was. He didn't even know that magic existed, even though he had defeated the most evil sorcerer of all time! It was strange.

'Let's just say my parents are divorced and I live with my dad and half-sister, Kayla. She already goes to Hogwarts, I'll introduce you sometime. I've known what magic was my whole life, my dad being a wizard and all, and it's always been my dream to go to Hogwarts. Now that it's coming true, it's hard to believe it's real,' Arya said, dreamily, avoiding all subject of her mother.

'What happened to your mother? Was she a witch?' Harry asked curiously. He very much wanted to meet someone like him, with parents only half magic or something, and nothing like that 'pureblood' snob.

'Sort of,' Arya said vaguely, fidgeting a bit. 'I'd rather not talk about it.' Harry nodded. He wanted to respect her privacy.

'You want to come meet my dad?' she asked.

'I should probably wait for Hagrid,' Harry said, looking around for the bear of a man escorting him. 'He said he was getting a pick-me-up in the Leaky Cauldron. He's the gamekeeper at Hogwarts and he's really nice, though intimidating at first sight. You should meet him.'

''Ey, Harry. 'Oo's your frien'?' called a gruff voice from behind them. Arya turned to see the largest man she had seen in her life. He was at least twice, if not three times as tall as the normal man and five times as wide. His face was mostly hidden behind a rough, scraggly beard and wild hair. His beetle-black eyes twinkled merrily and she could tell me was smiling at her. She tried to smile back.

'Hey, Hagrid. This is Arya Elias. I met her in Madame Malkin's. She's really nice and it's going to be her first year at Hogwarts, too,' Harry introduced, standing and pulling Arya to her feet.

''Ello, Arya,' Hagrid said, reaching down to take her small hand in his enormous ones.

'Uh, hello, Hagrid,' she said, unnerved by his size. 'So, I hear you're gamekeeper at Hogwarts?'

'Yup,' he said proudly. 'I take care of the grounds and all the creatures on it. You'll love it at Hogwarts. Anyone in their right mind would love it at Hogwarts!' he said.

'Well, I should probably go find my father,' Arya said, turning to go back to Flourish and Blotts, but Harry grabbed her hand.

'We'll come with you,' he offered. 'I want to meet your father and I have yet to get my own books.'

'Okay,' Arya nodded and walked with Harry back to the bookshop. Harry was blushing slightly and seemed reserved. He was clearly mortified that he had dared to grab her hand like that. Arya thought it was adorable how shy and timid he was. She smiled at him and he smiled back tentatively, but it was a enticing smile, nonetheless.

'Dad?' she called as soon as they entered, craning her neck for a good look around. She heard a response and led Harry to the back of the store, where her father and Kayla were looking through books on jinxes and counterjinxes for Kayla.

'Hey, honey,' he said, looking up. His eyes fell on Harry and Hagrid and he looked them up and down. A considerable amount of staring ensued. 'Who do we have here?' he asked finally, smiling at them.

'I'm Harry Potter, sir,' Harry said politely. Arya's father gasped, putting his hand over his mouth and gaping at him.

'Really? Are you really _the _Harry Potter? That's amazing! I'm so pleased to meet you! I'm Arya's father, obviously, and this is Kayla,' he rambled, pushing Kayla to the foreground.

'Hi, Kayla, I'm Harry,' he said, holding out his hand for her to shake. She did nothing. She stood there, gawking at him, making no move to speak or shake his hand or anything. Harry grew awkward under her steady, astounded gaze so he lowered his hand awkwardly and rocked back and forth on his heels.

'Well, uh, this is Kayla and she's really very friendly when she's not stuck like this…' Kayla's father said, pulling her back to his side where she stood, continuing to gawp at him.

'Can I go get my wand now?' Arya asked excitedly. Her father handed her some more galleons and sent her and Harry off to Ollivander's Wand Shop. 'Have you gotten your wand yet, Harry?'

'No, but I think Hagrid was planning on getting me an owl for my birthday so I'll go get a pet and you can get your wand now and then we'll sort of swap places, kay?' he said, thinking it over.

'Okay, and then we can get together and have some ice cream or something,' she proposed. Harry smiled broadly at her and nodded.

'Great. See you later,' he called running to catch up with Hagrid's enormous strides. Arya turned and made her way into the dusty, dingy wand shop. There were boxes piled all the way from floor to ceiling, filling the whole store, with one desk and a spindly chair to break the monotony.

'Ah, I wondered when I would be seeing you, m'dear,' said a breathy, eerie voice whispered from the depths of the shop. A small, frail old man with huge silvery eyes staring straight at her, into her soul it seemed, emerged from among the towers and towers of packages. 'What took you so long?'

'Are you Mr. Ollivander?' Arya asked, totally creeped out by the odd little man and unable to keep the tremble out of her voice.

'Yes, and you are Arya Elias?' he said. It was more of a statement than a question, really, and it made her nervous. How did he know who she was?

'I'm here to get a wand,' Arya said, though she thought that this fact should be obvious being that they were, after all, in a wand shop, but he didn't seem to be making any move to sell her one.

'I remember your father's wand,' he stated simply. 'Ten inches, maple wood, slightly springy, good for charm work. Nice boy, he was.'

Arya just stood uncomfortably, shifting her weight from one foot to the other. 'How do I get a wand?' she asked, getting impatient.

'Try this,' Mr. Ollivander said, presenting a wand to her. 'Give it a wave.' Arya waved the wand, feeling foolish. Nothing happened. 'Next!' he said, handing her a different one. She waved it and, again, nothing happened. This continued for maybe ten minutes and the heap of tried wands mounted higher and higher but Mr. Ollivander seemed very pleased for some reason.

'Hm. I wonder. Try this one,' he said quietly, handing her yet another wand. The moment she touched it, a warmth spread through her fingers and up her arm. She brought it swishing through the air and the most beautiful music filled the air, like Phoenix song, and a cascade of soft, golden sparks exploded from the tip of the wand. Arya gasped and dropped the wand.

Mr. Ollivander picked it up and wrapped it in tissue paper and placed it carefully into a box, muttering to himself all the while. 'It's very curious that you get this wand. Very curious, indeed,' he said.

'Excuse me, but, what's curious?' Arya asked, tentatively. Mr. Ollivander turned his luminous orbs on her and fixed her with an unwavering, unblinking stare. Arya recoiled slightly.

'This wand contains a Phoenix feather. This particular Phoenix gave only two other feathers. One was already bought, these two were not. It is curious that you get this for reasons beyond your comprehension. You are yet to know of your destiny, young one. You are much more powerful than even you can know,' he said cryptically. His voice sent shivers up and down her spine.

He shoved the box into her hands, snatched up the money she offered him, and disappeared into the back of his shop once more, leaving Arya with a tingle in her scalp and a feeling of foreboding in the pit of her stomach.


	3. Chapter 3

**CHAPTER 3**

Arya walked slowly down Diagon Ally toward the pet emporium. She passed Harry going through the door but didn't respond to his greeting. She continued into the dimly lit store, filled with jewel-bright eyes and the clicking of beaks. Arya looked around distractedly. She approached the counter nervously.

'Uh, I'm looking for a cat,' Arya informed the man at the counter quietly. 'Preferably one that's easy to take care of, nice and soft, not vicious or magical, just a regular cat. Okay?' The man gave her the creeps.

He had bright yellow eyes that seemed to glow, and his teeth were cracked, crooked and yellowing. His nose was bent and crooked, and his hair was scraggly and gray. He was missing a finger. He smiled at her.

'Sure we do, sweetie,' he said, his voice gravelly and hoarse. 'Right over here.' Arya followed him to a corner in the back of the store. In a cage was a tiny, pure white kitten, mewling quietly. Its eyes were barely open and it stumbled around its cage pitifully. Arya sighed.

'It's perfect!' she whispered. The man opened the cage and handed the kitten carefully to her. She cradled it in her arms, savoring the feel of the soft, warm creature in her grasp. It looked so innocent and vulnerable she just had to buy it. 'How much?'

'Normally, eight galleons but, for you, only seven,' he said, leading her back to the counter, cage in hand. Arya said, pulling out some coins. She handed the man the money and smiled at the kitten.

'What're you going to name it?' the man asked, placing her money in a red pouch and grinning at her. Arya contemplated the question, looking speculatively at the kitten.

'Angel,' she replied. The man nodded his approval and she exited the store to meet with Harry, much happier than when she entered the store, having nearly forgotten about the eerie words of Mr. Ollivander.

Arya found Harry waiting for her outside of Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlor, where they had planned to meet, a large snowy owl in a wire cage by his side. She sat next to him and held up the kitten in a cage of its own, beaming.

'Its name is Angel. Isn't it adorable?' she cooed, letting Harry pet its soft, fuzzy fur. Harry nodded, smiling as the kitten pushed its head into his hand adorably. 'What's your owl's name?'

'Hedwig,' he replied. 'I saw the name in one of the school books.' Arya stroked the owl's head through the cage. She clicked her beak and ruffled her feathers, and Arya chuckled in delight. 'So, I told you my background. What's your story?'

The smile faded quickly from Arya's face. She had been afraid he would ask something like that. Arya had always been acutely aware of her differences, whether anyone else was or not, and constantly attempted to blend in. Now that she was put on the spot by a boy who had been so open with her, how could she tell him no?

'Well, I'm not exactly what you would call 'normal',' Arya confessed tremulously. Harry shook his head and smiled at her.

'Why ever not? You seem perfectly normal to me,' he said. _But exceptionally beautiful,_ he thought to himself, marveling at it once again. Arya fidgeted, stalling, wondering how much she should tell him and how much would just freak him out.

'Well, I'm not really…even…human,' she choked out. Harry looked at her blankly, not quite understanding what she had said. 'Not _full _human! I'm half human and half fairy. I know that's an odd pair, what with fairies being so small and all, but it doesn't change me or anything,' she rushed, worried over losing her new friend.

Harry sat and contemplated this for a moment. It was a lot to take in. His first two real friends weren't really human (Hagrid was way too big to be human and Arya way too beautiful). The magical world was a very interesting place. Harry chuckled and began to laugh out loud.

'What are you laughing at?' Arya asked tetchily, turning away and clutching Angel to her chest, who mewled in protest. She could hardly believe that this boy, Harry Potter of all people, would dare to laugh at her because she wasn't full human! The nerve of some people.

'No, no, I'm not laughing at you,' Harry said, still chuckling, turning her around and smiling at her. 'I'm laughing at this whole situation! I mean, come on! What are the chances that on the day I learn of the magical world I make my first two friends of my life, neither of which is full human even! You have to admit that's a bit odd,' he said. Arya allowed herself a small smile. It was sort of funny, after all.

'Well, my dad fell in love with a fairy and they tried to get married but the Fairy Queen wouldn't let them so she ran off with him. They couldn't get married here so they were on the road for awhile. They tried to go back and live with the fairies again but the Queen wouldn't allow my mother back in unless she left my father. Dad knew that mum would never have a real life here so he said it was okay. Soon after he left, my mother summoned him back and informed him that I had been born--'

'Wait! Soon? I thought pregnancy took nine months, and I would hardly consider that 'soon',' Harry interrupted confusedly.

'Not for fairies. It's only three weeks for fairies,' Arya explained. Harry nodded and she continued. 'My mum tried to get me accepted into the tribe but they ousted me so I live with my dad and half-sister now.'

Harry nodded and sat back in his seat. 'Well, that's not so weird. Okay, it's pretty weird but not to me. Today, I'm ready to believe anything. You're really nice. What house do you want to be at Hogwarts?' he asked, steering the conversation away from family as it clearly made her uncomfortable.

'I'd like to be in Ravenclaw with Kayla but Gryffindor would be okay, too,' she said, relaxing as well. Arya replaced Angel in her cage and set it by Hedwig. 'What about you?'

'I want to be in Gryffindor, but Ravenclaw would be okay,' Harry said, chuckling at the similarities in their preferences. 'I heard of two from Malfoy and I don't particularly want to be in Slytherin or Hufflepuff. Hufflepuff sounds sort of, well, dumb or wishy-washy and Slytherin just sounds evil.'

Arya nodded and smiled at the owner of the ice cream shop, Florean Fortescue, as he came to take their order. 'What would you two youngsters like? What a moment, you're Harry Potter, aren't you? Can I have your autograph?' he asked slowly, his eyes widening as the realization hit him, fumbling to pull a pen and booklet from his pocket.

Harry smiled bashfully, embarrassed by the recognition. Nonetheless, he signed the paper, blushing, and ordered a chocolate sundae. Arya ordered a banana split and Fortescue hurried off, shooting astounded looks back at them. As soon as he was out of sight, Arya burst out laughing at the look on Harry's face. The embarrassment deepened, as did the blush coloring his cheeks.

'What are you laughing at?' he asked crabbily. Arya continued to laugh, wiping a tear from her eye.

'The look on your face,' she choked out, slapping her leg with one hand and grabbing the edge of the bench to steady herself with the other. Harry frowned at her, obviously trying not to smile, the edges of his mouth twitching upward.

'Humph,' he said. They sat in silence for a moment until their ice cream arrived. The sugar put them both in a much better mood and they were soon chatting merrily again, about anything, and everything, they could think of.

'Well, I guess I should get back,' Arya said disappointedly, standing up and picking up Angel's cage. 'My dad will be looking for me.' Harry stood up and nodded sadly.

'Yeah, Hagrid will be looking for me, too,' he confessed, dreading leaving his only friend. 'Well, bye,' he said awkwardly wondering the proper goodbye. Should they wave? Shake hands? Hug? What?

Arya answered his question for him. She pulled him into a hug and stood there for a moment. Harry was surprised and nervous but relaxed enough to hug her back. She pulled away and smiled at him. He smiled back shyly and picked up Hedwig's cage.

'Well, bye,' he said again. Then they parted ways, Arya going back to Flourish and Blotts, and Harry to the Leaky Cauldron. Harry allowed himself to blush again, out of self-conscious pleasure this time. A girl had hugged him! He had never even had a friend, much less a girlfriend, but a girl had hugged him today!

Arya smiled cheerfully. This was the best she had felt in quite awhile. Someone knew about her secret and he was still her friend. That meant she wasn't as weird and freakish as she had though. He was even famous, very famous, and she had actually had the nerve to hug him! This had definitely been a good day.


	4. Chapter 4

**CHAPTER 4**

Arya entered Flourish and Blotts to find her father and Kayla sitting in the back, looking annoyed.

'There you are!' he father said, standing up and frowning at her. 'You should have been here twenty minutes ago. You are late and it's time to go. Hurry up, go!' he said, shunting her toward the fireplace. He pressed some floopowder into her hands and pushed her past the grate.

She shot him a dirty look before whizzing off to her house again. Her father and half-sister came quickly after her, followed by all their packages and parcels. Arya sat down on the couch and pulled Angel out of her cage, hugging her tight.

'Where were you and what were you doing?' her father asked. Arya rolled her eyes and placed Angel on her lap, stroking her gently. 'Don't you roll your eyes at me, young lady,' her father cautioned. She had to consciously control the urge to roll her eyes again, just for spite.

'I was at the ice cream parlor talking with Harry,' Arya said, peeved. Her father nodded, apparently satisfied.

'Is this your new pet? What's it's name? Is it a boy or a girl?' Kayla asked, sitting next to her and taking Angel out of her hands. The kitten meowed at her quietly and tried to bat at her hand. Kayla giggled.

'It's name is Angel and I think it's a girl,' Arya said, checking to be sure. 'Yeah. She's a sweetie, isn't she?' Kayla nodded and giggled again. 'I plan to get an owl next year. If I can handle two pets.'

'Okay, these are all your school books, Kayla, and these are yours, Arya,' their father said, handing them books wrapped in brown paper. 'Go ahead and pack them now so you don't lose them, _Arya_,' he said pointedly.

Arya rolled her eyes at him, making him sigh exasperatedly, and dropped her books into her new cauldron, along with her potion ingredients and robes, and taking it all to her room. She flopped down on her bed and stared up at the ceiling. The whole room looked very cheerful and soothing at the moment, reflecting her mood as it usually did.

One wall was a light green, not lime but pastel, and the next was blue. Then there was yellow, pastel, not mustard, and the last was pale pink. Her bedspread was a checkerboard incorporating many different colors and all of her furniture, the desk and chair, the bedposts, her vanity set, the bureau, and the bookshelf, was painted white. All in all, it was a girly room.

Arya sat up and pulled out her trunk, the one she used for traveling anywhere, the one with her name on the end in fancy letters with the pretty border she liked so much, and loaded all of her equipment into it neatly, organizing and reorganizing it until it was immaculate. Then she began to load her clothes into it, too, so she would be ready to go to Hogwarts with minimal fuss or hurry. She kept her favorite outfits out so that she wouldn't have to dig around in the trunk and mess up the arrangement. There was, after all, still three weeks left until Hogwarts.

_**THREE WEEKS LATER**_

Arya, her heart pounding with excitement, burst through the enchanted archway to platform 9 ¾, pushing her trunk ahead of her. She was suddenly standing next to a scarlet steam engine, the words 'Hogwarts Express' written in gold letters across the top, among a throng of people, owls hooting and cats weaving between her feet. There was smoke from the train drifting above them and people were all talking animatedly.

Arya pushed her trunk to the train and hoisted it onboard with the help of Kayla. Then, she wandered down the corridor, looking for an empty compartment, or maybe one with Harry in it. Near the end of the train, Arya found a compartment with only two people in it; Harry and a boy with bright red hair and a load of freckles.

'Hi, Harry! Can I sit with you?' she asked, beaming at him. Harry nodded and pushed his trunk into the upper compartment, giving her a place to sit. They sat down and Ron nudged him, jerking his head at her.

'Oh, yeah,' Harry said. 'Ron, this is Arya Elias. Arya, this is Ron Weasley. I met Arya in Diagon Ally last month,' he informed Ron. Arya shook his hand, smiling encouragingly at him. He was stunned by the beauty of her smile, though she was quite unaware of the reason for his astonishment.

'Nice to meet you, Ron,' she said. Ron stared at her for a moment, never blinking, before speaking. He gulped.

'Hello,' he choked out, his voice sounding high pitched and strained. He turned to Harry. 'Can I speak to you a moment?' he asked quietly. Harry nodded and shot a meaningful glance at Arya. She sighed, rolled her eyes and left the compartment.

'Harry, she's bloody gorgeous!' Ron blurted out as soon as Arya was out of earshot. Harry rested his hand on his forehead and chuckled at the shocked look on Ron's face.

'Ron, she's just a girl,' he sniggered. 'Nothing to get upset about.'

Ron gaped at him. 'But you've got to agree that girl is smoking hot!' he said breathlessly. Harry considered her for a moment.

'Yeah, I guess so,' he said unconcernedly, leaning back in his seat and putting his feet up on the seat across from him. Ron rolled his eyes exasperatedly. 'Just don't go all googly-eyes around her, will you? You're going to freak her out.' Ron nodded, leaning back and trying to look nonchalant.

'Can I come back in yet?' Arya called from the corridor outside the door, evidently peeved at being excluded from the conversation.

'Yeah,' Harry called. The door slid back and Arya entered, plopping down beside Harry, crossing her arms and legs. Then she reached above her head and pulled out Angel's cage. She removed Angel and placed her on the floor.

Arya sat crisscross on the floor, her back against the wall beneath the window, and rolled a rubber ball around the floor, giggling occasionally when Angel tried to pounce on it. The ball was too big for the tiny kitten to fit in her mouth and everyone in the compartment laughed when she attempted to do just that, gnawing at the edge.

'What's it's name?' Ron asked, picking the little kitten up gingerly and placing her on his lap. Arya crawled over to sit on the floor by Ron's feet, reaching up and petting Angel gently. Ron blushed but Arya, looking at the kitten, failed to notice this. It didn't get past Harry, though.

'Her name is Angel. Actually, I bought her in Diagon Ally just after I met Harry,' she said. She heard a chuckle and turned to look at Harry, who was looking at Ron knowingly. Arya looked at Ron, too, but didn't notice anything odd, besides the glare he was shooting at Harry. She dismissed it as nothing and turned back to Angel.

'Do have a pet, Ron?' she asked. Ron's face fell and he pulled out a cage containing a shabby rat. It had a toe missing and it's fur was scruffy and falling out in places. It was asleep.

'This,' he said sadly, gesturing to the rat. 'is Scabbers, my rat. He used to be my older brother Percy's, but he got an owl for being a prefect. My parents couldn't afford to get me an owl, too, so I got him instead of a good pet like yours and Harry's,' he said, his face falling more, his voice just a tad bitter.

'Well, rats are nice pets, too,' Arya lied, trying to sound convincing. Apparently, it didn't work, his face as glum as ever. Arya gave up on persuading him that his rat was cool and tried another tactic. 'Oh, who cares if you have a lame rat? You can share with us,' she offered. This seemed to brighten his spirit's a tad, as he began picking carefully through a package of Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans, avoiding the gross ones.

After some more awkward small talk, they finally got onto a subject they all seemed to like: Quidditch. Harry had never heard of it, obviously, but was very interested when Arya and Ron spoke of it so avidly. They talked for hours, detailing out the positions and scoring methods and such. They ordered lunch off the trolley and continued talking until they were interrupted by a very unwelcome guest.

Malfoy, flanked by two boulder-like boys, entered their compartment, looking at Harry with much more interest than in Diagon Ally.

'So this is the famous Harry Potter,' he said smoothly, looking disappointedly at Harry, who glared at him. 'I would have expected better than hanging around with a Weasley and a girl,' he sneered, looking at Ron and Arya in turn. They both bristled defensively and all three stood up.

'Leave, Malfoy, now,' Arya growled threateningly. Malfoy snorted.

'Ha! Like you would be able to do anything about me. You're a girl! I could take you down with my eyes closed and one hand tied behind my back,' he scoffed.

'Would you care to test that theory?' she snarled, taking a step forward. When no answer ensued, Arya glared at him, struggling to control herself. Her eyes began to glaze over but she closed them tight and shook her head, stumbling a bit with the effort of suppressing the transformation.

'See, look. She's gone weak in the knees with fright,' Malfoy sniggered to his body guards, imitating shaking and weeping. Suddenly, Arya launched herself at him, hitting him squarely in the chest and knocking him clean off his feet. He stood, sputtering indignantly, his cheeks flushed a pale pink.

'Lucky shot,' he said, sounding a tad shaken but covering it well. 'You caught me off guard. Bet a girl like you couldn't do it again.'

'You're on,' she said, attacking him again. She shoved him with all of her might up against the wall of the compartment, actually lifting him off of his feet by the collar. Her fury giving her the strength of an enraged fairy, except on a human scale. She now had the capability to lift up to six times her weight.

Malfoy looked terrified at this point, shaking and gripping her wrists in an attempt to get her to drop him. Unbeknownst to her, her eyes had completely blacked over now, becoming pearlescent, and her hair was blowing about her head, as if in a fierce wind. Luckily for Malfoy, she wasn't incensed enough to bring out her wings. His mouth had never gotten him into this kind of trouble before, and real physical violence was a new issue for him.

Arya leaned in and hissed in Malfoy's ear, 'You still think you could beat me?' He let out something close to a squeak and tried to wriggle out of her grasp. She responded by tightening her grip until he clawed at her hands, then dropped him.

Malfoy slid into a heap on the floor, trembling violently. He crawled frantically over to his cronies, who picked him bodily from the ground and placed him on his feet, never taking their eyes off of the terrifying girl in front of them. Then they hurried from the compartment, tripping on their own feet in their haste.

Arya fought to return herself to normal. Slowly, her eyes faded to their usual shade and her hair fell to her shoulders. She took a few deep breaths and turned to face Harry and Ron. They only gaped at her. She took a step toward them and Ron flinched back, terrified at what he had just witnessed. She took two steps back, her eyes filling with hurt tears.

'Harry…Ron…?' she began. When neither of them answered, she turned and fled the compartment, slowing only to pick up Angel from her place on the seat before running into the corridor. There was no one out there so she continued to run, blinded by tears.

She ran all the way to the bathrooms at the back of the train, and locked herself in. She sat shakily on the edge of the toilet and wiped her streaming eyes on the back of her sleeve. She squeezed her eyes shut, wishing that the last few minutes had never happened. She cuddled Angel to her chest, drawing support and comfort from the tiny fur ball she had come to love so much.

_How could I be so stupid?_ she thought, cursing herself for her lack of control. _That's never happened before. I can't believe I let Malfoy's sexist comments bring out my fairy traits! I've got to be more careful. I hope that Malfoy never figures out what just happened to me and tell everyone. I don't think I could make it through the year if anyone knew, except Harry. But I doubt that Harry will want to see me anymore after what just happen, now that he's seen what I can do. No one would._

Arya rocked back and forth, letting the tears take over, staining her face. Angel seemed to know that her owner needed comfort, so she made no move to get away and play as she usually would, didn't meow at the tears dripping onto her back and matting her fur. She nestled closer and purred, making Arya chuckle feebly.

'You still love me, right? I knew you would. Thank you. You always know how to make me feel better,' she whispered, looking at the tiny kitten affectionately. She kissed it on the top of the head, wiped her eyes again and stood up, trying to compose herself.

'Okay. I'll just go back to the compartment, and if the boys ignore me, I'll ignore them right back,' she guaranteed herself. Arya took a few deep breathes, and left the bathroom. She walked slowly back down the train to the compartment, reluctant to see the stunned and frightened faces of her friends again.

Arya paused in front of the door, took a few more deep breathes, and pushed it open. Harry and Ron were deep in worried conversation, but both of them looked up when the entrance opened. There was a moment or two of stunned and awkward silence, then Harry stood up, followed closely by Ron.

'Arya--' Harry started, but she held up a hand to stop him.

'It's okay, Harry,' she said quietly. 'I know what you're going to say. And I know that I probably scared you with what I did to Malfoy. I just couldn't control myself! And, Ron, you're probably very confused, because you don't know what just happened at all, or the story behind it. I just wanted to say I was sorry and…and that I completely understand if you…if you never want to see me again.' She was nearly in tears by the end of this.

Arya choked down a sob and sprinted out of the compartment once more. She would not let them see her cry again. She stopped abruptly when she heard her name called out. She hurriedly dried her eyes and turned to face the boys running after her. They both came to a stop in front of her, but she wouldn't look them in the eye.

'Arya, we don't care,' Harry said. Arya looked up at him, a little confused as to his meaning. 'Actually, we think what you did to Malfoy was wicked sweet!' he added laughingly.

'Yeah, we don't care that you're half fairy,' Ron said. Arya looked at him in surprise. 'Harry told me,' he explained. 'But we don't care about that. All we care about is you! You're a wonderful, intelligent, beautiful girl, who just happens to transform into a half-fairy, half-human creature when she gets angry. No big deal,' he said nonchalantly.

Arya caught the irony in his tone and giggled a bit. The boys smiled at her. Harry took her free hand in his. 'Come on. There's no need to stand out here in the hallway when we have a compartment all to ourselves,' he said, blushing slightly at his own bravado. Arya blushed a bit as well and but allowed Harry to lead her by the hand back to their compartment.


	5. Chapter 5

**CHAPTER 5**

Harry looked up as the door opened again, only to see a girl with slightly overlarge front teeth and a mane of frizzy brown hair standing there.

'Has anyone seen a toad? Neville's lost one,' she asked, her voice as bossy as he had thought it would be. Harry shook his head.

'No, we haven't seen any toads,' Ron said.

'But we'd be happy to help you look for it,' Arya volunteered. Harry looked at her.

'We would?' he asked. She shot him a look and he rolled his eyes, standing up wearily. 'Okay, okay, we'll help Neville find his toad.'

'I'm Arya, what's your name?' she asked, holding out her hand for the bossy girl to shake.

'I'm Hermione Granger,' she said, shaking her hand. Then she took a closer look at Harry. 'And you're Harry Potter. And you are?' she asked, with a touch of aversion in her tone.

'Ron Weasley,' he replied, glaring at her. He was already beginning to dislike her.

'Pleasure,' she said, although it was very clear that she did not think so at all. 'Well, I've got to go finish helping Neville find his toad. Nice meeting you,' she said, waving cheerfully at Harry and Arya. Then she turned to Ron. 'And you've got dirt on your nose, by the way. Did you know?'

Ron stared angrily after her and rubbed the tip of his nose, completely missing the dirt that Hermione had referred to. 'Here, Ron, let me get it,' Arya sighed, pulling out a handkerchief. She cupped his chin in her hands and began to rub his nose vigorously.

'Gerrof!' he said, trying to push her away. 'You're just like my mum!' Arya rolled her eyes at him and held him still until the dirt was gone.

'Do you want to make a bad impression your first day at a new school, Ronald?' she asked, scolding him. 'What would the teachers think of you if you showed up all dirty? First impressions are essential.' It was Ron's turn to roll his eyes. His day was not going quite as well as he had hoped.

Harry noted that Ron had become much more comfortable around Arya, though he still blushed a little whenever he accidentally touched her hand or bumped into her or anything. Harry thought it was sort of cute. He could tell that Ron had a crush on her. He wasn't the only one.

And he had friends. Harry just couldn't get over his amazement at this simple business of friends. He had never had them before and now that he did, he was feeling happier than he ever had in his entire life, collectively! This was wonderful. Today was going much better than planned.

A voice came over the magical intercoms all along the train: '_We will be reaching Hogwarts in five minutes time. Please put on your school robes if you have not done so and prepare to exit in a calm and orderly manner. Your baggage will be taken to the castle separately.'_

Arya jumped out of her seat and pulled her robes out of her trunk in the overhead compartment. Then she stopped. 'Where am I going to change? I'm definitely not changing in the same room as you two,' she said. No one answered her. 'I guess I'll have to go change in the bathroom,' she sighed, them traipsed off in an annoyed fashion.

Harry pulled his robes over his head, as did Ron, then they sat down to await Arya's return. 'So. You like Arya?' he said. It was more a statement than a question. Ron flushed beet red.

'No!' he said defensively. Harry smiled knowingly at him and he blushed deeper, his face clashing horribly with his face.

'Then why are you blushing so much? And getting so defensive? Face it, Ron, you fancy her,' he said. Ron opened his mouth to say something, thought better of it, closed his mouth, and opened it again.

'So what if I do?' he asked. 'You like her, too,' he said accusatorily. Harry shook his head.

'No, I don't,' he said. Ron smirked at him.

'Oh, yes you do! I see the way you smile so much when she looks at you. You blush whenever you touch her, you take her by the hand whenever you take her anywhere. Your eyes sparkle for, crying out loud!' he said, throwing his hands up in the air. 'You've been flirting with her all day!'

Arya turned the corner just in time to hear Ron's last sentence. Instead of entering the compartment, she knelt down and pressed her ear to the compartment door, all the better to hear. There was a pause.

Harry thought over the day's events, his brow creasing in thought. When he thought about it, he did seem to be a lot happier when she was around. 'Well…maybe,' he admitted. 'I don't know. She's just amazing. Like you said earlier, she's wonderful, intelligent, beautiful, powerful, funny, kind, everything! She's like the perfect girl, and she hugged me in Diagon Ally! She was the only girl I've ever spoken to and she hugged me! Of course I like her!'

Arya blushed, suppressing a grin or pleased embarrassment. She stood up, waited a moment, and then opened the door. Both boys looked up and flushed, smiling at her. She sat down by Harry, close enough that their knees were touching, and Harry darkened another shade.

'So, what did you boys chat about while I wasn't here?' she asked teasingly. The boys glanced at each other, as though caught in a trap.

'Uh, um, Quidditch?' Harry suggested. Arya smiled at him and nodded. Harry smiled back, though it was a bit strained looking.

'Oh, well, I can see that,' she said brightly. 'Is that all you two ever talk about? Anything else?' Arya was trying to pry information out of them. She knew she was flirting, turning on her charms to see how they would react. Now that Harry was aware of his feelings, they seemed much more acute. He was acting like Ron had when he first met her.

'Not really, no,' he lied. 'Just Quidditch. So, uh, what do we do until we get to Hogwarts?' he asked, trying to think of anything to save him from the pending humiliation.

'The same thing we've been doing since we got on the train?' Arya said. 'What should we talk about? And don't say Quidditch! I've gotten a tad tired of talking about that.' The boys looked at each other again, but this time remained silent.

After another moment or two of awkward silence, Arya stood up. She knew that Harry was about two inches taller than she and, using this information to her advantage, she pretended she needed something from her trunk. She reached up to the overhead compartment but she stopped herself short, using her acting skills to make it look like she couldn't quite reach it.

'Harry? Could you help me get my trunk down? I need to get my wand out of it,' she said, putting on that whole 'damsel in distress' act. He nodded and stood up. 'It's the big one right there,' she instructed, pointing to her trunk. Harry heaved her trunk down and deposited it on the seat. Arya searched through it until she found her wand, which she pocketed.

'Thanks, Harry,' she said. 'I think I can get it back up myself.' She picked up one end of the trunk and raised it up level with the overhead. She held the other end and pushed. She pretended to lose her grip, letting out a little scream as the heavy trunk came sliding back toward her. Harry caught the trunk and shoved it back up.

Arya clutched at her heart in mock fear. Harry turned to her. 'Are you alright?' he asked worriedly. She nodded, looking up at him. Their green eyes met for a moment, and she pulled him into a hug. They stayed there for a moment, she leaning comfortably into his chest.

'Thank you, Harry,' she said, her words muffled. He pulled back and smiled broadly at her, relieved her was okay, and his eyes indeed sparkled as Ron had said they did.

'Anytime,' he replied. 'You should be more careful. That thing could squash you flat,' he warned, gesturing to her trunk.

'Not if I have you to save me,' she said flirtatiously. She hugged him again and sat back down, pulling Harry down by the hand to sit next to her. Ron glared at them, having watched the whole scene jealously. 'What's the matter, Ron?' She asked, knowing full well what the matter was.

'Will you two stop flirting? It's making me sick,' he said bitterly. Harry shot daggers at him. Arya decided to have a little fun with him. She leaned forward and placed a hand on his knee, smiling seductively.

'You think _that_ was flirting?' she asked quietly. 'No, no, no. _This_ is flirting.' She moved over to sit next to him, pressing her thigh up against his. She traced lazy circles on his knee with her fingertips, moving her other hand to his shoulder. She leaned in and blew lightly in his ear, making him shiver. Then she abruptly returned to her seat beside Harry, looking smug.

Ron gaped at her, and then at Harry, who was looking partly jealous and partly amused. 'You little tease!' he yelled, glaring at Arya. 'And you!' he cried, turning his sights on Harry. 'You were supposed to be my friend. You both were. But you tease me and you laugh at me! Fine! I'm out of here,' he finished, storming out of the compartment.

Arya stared after him, horrorstruck at what she had done. 'I didn't mean to hurt him that bad,' she said quietly, turning to look at Harry. He was looking as well, with a shocked and dismayed expression. 'It was just a joke. What's he so mad about?'

'Well, Ron has five older brothers and one younger sister; he gets skipped over a lot. He's the youngest boy so all his things are hand-me-downs and his little sister is the princess of the family, you know? He really liked you but, then, so did I. When you overlooked him and started flirting with me, I guess it was just one too many times,' he explained. He hugged her once more. 'It's okay, I'm sure he'll forgive you.'

'I hope so,' she whispered, though she doubted he would. Arya snuggled into Harry's chest, drawing comfort and assurance from him. By the look of it, she had upset him a lot more than intended.

_**HOGWARTS**_

The train shuddered to a stop, jarring the crush of students waiting to get off at Hogsmeade Station. Arya and Harry were swept along, both of them searching for the telltale hair of Ron. They didn't find him. Before they could continue their search, Harry heard a familiar voice.

'Firs' years! Firs' years over 'ere!' Hagrid called, a lantern bobbing in his hand, held high above the mass of students. Harry and Arya ran over, happy to see a familiar face.

'Hi, Hagrid!' Harry called over the noise of the crowd, shoving through a knot of intimidated kids.

''Ello, Harry, Arya,' he said, smiling down at them. 'Okay, firs' years! You all get a treat. The firs' years always get to ride up to the castle in boats across the Black Lake. In ya get, now, four to a boat,' he called, ushering the first year students to a loading dock where a fleet of small boats was waiting.

Harry, Arya, Hermione, and the boy Hermione introduced as Neville Longbottom got into one boat. The others filled in the fleet, Hagrid getting a boat to himself, and Hagrid set the boats gliding out over the lake. The boats passed through a curtain of ivy and got their very first glimpse of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

It was a huge castle, turrets and towers, hundreds of lighted windows. Vast grounds bordering a dark forest, and the lake they were currently sailing across. It was a magnificent sight.

The boats disembarked on the opposite bank, where a long line of horseless carriages were waiting. Hagrid partitioned the group into the carriages and they automatically set off, trundling along on their own. Arya stared out the window all the way up the sloping lawn, through a gateway flanked by winged boars, and up to the tall oak castle doors, fascinated.

Hagrid herded them to the doors and knocked. A severe-looking woman, black hair pulled into a tight bun, opened them and beckoned them curtly inside. The Entrance Hall was enormous, the whole of the Dursleys's house would have fit inside.

The first years were packed into a small room off the side, passing by more doors out of which floated snippets of conversation and tantalizing smells. They stood much closer than they normally would have, everything made more tense by the nervousness that possessed them all.

'I heard that you had to past a test of some kind,' Harry heard someone call. Harry had a sudden image of trying to pull a rabbit out of a silk top hat. He gulped; they just got there and he would have to perform magic already? He wasn't prepared for this! Arya laid a hand on his shoulder, looking at him concernedly.

'It's okay, Harry,' she said. 'Kayla told me what you do. All they do is sit you on a stool in front of everyone, put a hat on your head, and the hat tells you what house you should be in,' she explained, as much to reassure herself as him.

'Well, as much as I dread being in front of the rest of the school, that's much better than having to do magic so soon,' Harry sighed. The stern woman opened the door again, waiting impatiently until she had everyone's attention.

'My name is Professor McGonagall,' she said. 'Welcome, first years, to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. In a moment, you will join the rest of the school in the Great Hall. Then, you will be sorted into your houses. During your time at this school, your house will be like your family.

'You will share a dormitory and a common room with the other members of your house. Each house has points. Any achievements will earn you points, any rule breaking, and you will lose points. Before we go into the hall, I suggest you try to smarten up a bit,' she said distastefully, her eyes lingering on Neville's cloak, which was fastened below his left ear.

Harry desperately tried to make his hair lie flat, to no avail. Arya smoothed her hair, straightened her robes and checked her breath. Once they were relatively satisfied, they were ushered single file into the large room they had passed by earlier. Arya gasped.

There was no ceiling! Or so it seemed. From behind her, Arya heard Hermione hiss, 'It's bewitched to look like the sky outside. I read about in "Hogwarts: A History".' She stared in awe at the crystal clear, purplish sky. It was hard to believe the room didn't just open up to the heavens.

Arya glanced around at the hundreds of students, seated at four long tables, and the staff, seated along a fifth table perpendicular to the rest. The first years were filed along to stand in front of the staff table. Professor McGonagall brought out a four-legged stool, set it in front of them, and placed a depressingly frayed black wizards' hat on top of it.

It just sat there for a moment, everyone looking at it expectantly. Suddenly, a rip at the brim opened wide like a mouth and the hat began to sing:

"_Oh, you may not think I'm pretty,_

_But don't judge on what you see,_

_I'll eat myself if you can find_

_A smarter hat than me._

_You can keep your bowlers black,_

_Your top hats sleek and tall,_

_For I'm the Hogwarts Sorting Hat_

_And I can cap them all._

_There's nothing hidden in you head_

_The Sorting Hat can't see,_

_So try me on and I will tell you_

_Where you ought to be._

_You might belong in Gryffindor,_

_Where dwell the brave at heart,_

_Their daring, nerve, and chivalry_

_Set Gryffindor apart;_

_You might belong in Hufflepuff,_

_Where they are just and loyal,_

_Those patient Hufflepuffs are true_

_And unafraid of toil;_

_Or yet in wise of Ravenclaw,_

_If you've a ready mind,_

_Where those of wit and learning,_

_Will always find their kind;_

_Or perhaps in Slytherins_

_You'll make your real friends,_

_Those cunning folds use any means_

_To achieve their ends._

_So put me on! Don't be afraid!_

_And don't get in a flap!_

_You're in safe hands (though I have none)_

_For I'm a Thinking Cap!"_

All was silent for another moment or two. Then the hall burst out into frenzied applause. Arya clapped along with the rest, a little awed by the charmed hat. She had heard about it from Kayla but hadn't quite believed her. McGonagall raised her hand expectantly and all eyes returned to her.

'When I call your name, you will put on the hat and sit on the stool to be sorted,' she said. 'Abbot, Hannah!' A scared-looking little girl with blonde pigtails stumbled forward. The Sorting Hat dropped down and covered her eyes when it she put it on. There was a moment of silence, and then--

'HUFFLEPUFF!' The table on the right erupted with cheers. Hannah sat down at the Hufflepuff table.

'Bones, Susan!'

'HUFFLEPUFF!' Susan scuttled off to sit by Hannah.

'Boot, Terry!'

'RAVENCLAW!' This time, the table second to the left clapped. Terry headed toward them, having his hand shaken many times.

'Brocklehurst, Mandy' went to Ravenclaw as well. Then 'Brown Lavender' became the first Gryffindor first year and the table on the far left applauded uproariously.

'Bulstrode, Millicent' went to Slytherin, a group of foul looking students. Arya was starting to get nervous now. What if she didn't get into Ravenclaw? What if she was in a different house than Harry? Her palms were clammy and her breathing was shallow. This was a nerve-racking experience, for certain. She was next, she just knew it.

'Elias, Arya!' Her breath caught in her throat. She didn't move. Harry nudged her forward and she headed slowly toward the stool, taking careful steps to avoid tripping in her haste. She sat down and the hat was placed on her head. It slipped down over her eyes so that her view of the older students was extinguished and replaced with the worn and frayed inside of the hat.

'_Where to put you?'_ She jumped. The voice was in her head.

'_Let's see. There's a great deal of talent, yes, and a need to fit in. Courage, ambition, intelligence, loyalty. Hm. Could be good in any house,'_ the hat mused quietly.

'_Please,'_ Arya thought, hoping the hat would hear her. _'Either Ravenclaw or Gryffindor. Please.'_

'_Really? Okay, better be-- _GRYFFINDOR!' Arya heard the Sorting Hat shout the last word to the whole hall. The hat was removed and she stood, making her way quickly to sit at the Gryffindor table.

Arya observed Harry while he was waiting to be called. His face might as well have been transparent it was so easy to see his thoughts. Every moment or so, a look of horror or fear would flit across his face and she was sure he was close to panic, and getting closer as each name was called.

'Potter, Harry!'

Harry broke out of the line and the hall was suddenly abuzz with excited whispers.

'_Potter_, did she say?'

'_The_ Harry Potter?'

Harry ignored them and sat down on the stool. The hat was placed on his head, obscuring his eyes, and the hall fell silent once more. There were a few minutes of tense silence before the hat's mouth opened wide--

'GRYFFINDOR!' The Gryffindor table practically exploded. Every Gryffindor was on his feet, stamping and applauding wildly, ecstatic. A chant could be heard over the roar: _'We got Potter! We got Potter!' _was being yelled repeatedly by the elder Weasley twins, Ron's older brothers.

Harry sat shakily beside Arya, and she gave him a hug. She could sense how relieved her was even through his calm expression.

The two watched the rest of the sorting interestedly, applauding politely for the other houses and a little more enthusiastic for their own. Malfoy was obviously sorted into Slytherin. Hermione Granger had been sorted into Gryffindor, and so was Ron.

When Ron was called, he sat on the stool but the hat called out 'GRYFFINDOR' when it had barely touched his head. He started toward Harry and Arya, but then, to their dismay, veered off to sit beside his older brothers halfway down the table, shooting daggers at them. Arya heard Harry sigh and gave his hand a reassuring squeeze.

Albus Dumbledore, his silver hair and bread shining in the light of the candles floating above the tables, stood up and spread his arms wide in a welcoming gesture.

'Welcome!' he said. 'Welcome to a new year at Hogwarts! Before we begin our banquet, I would like to say a few words. And here they are: Nitwit! Blubber! Oddment! Tweak!

'Thank you!'

Arya raised an eyebrow at him and glanced at Harry, who was looking a bit confused as well. 'He's mad,' she stated simply.

'Mad?' said a boy with flaming red hair, tightly curled, and horn-rimmed glasses, leaning over the table to speak to her. 'He's a genius! Best wizard in the world! But he is a bit mad, yes. Potatoes?'

Arya glanced down at the table and gasped. Somehow, tables of food had just appeared in front of them, out of thin air. And there was so much! There was really everything she could think of. She looked to see Harry's reaction, finding him gaping at the food in wonder and awe. They both filled their plates and began to eat.

'That does look good,' said a ghost in a ruff sadly.

'Can't you--?' Harry asked uncertainly,

'I haven't eaten for nearly four hundred years,' the ghost answered. 'I don't need to, of course, but one does miss it. I don't think I've introduced myself? Sir Nickolas de Mimsy-Porpington at your service. Resident ghost of Gryffindor Tower.'

'You're Nearly Headless Nick!' someone called, Arya thought it was a boy named Dean but wasn't sure.

'I would _prefer _you to call me Sir Nicholas de Mimsy--' the ghost began but Seamus Finnigan interrupted.

'_Nearly_ Headless? How can you be _Nearly_ Headless?'

'Like this,' Nick said. He grabbed hold of his left ear and pulled. His head swung off his neck and onto his shoulder, held on by only an inch or so of ghostly skin and muscle. It was obvious that someone had attempted to decapitate him but had messed it up. Everyone gasped. Looking pleased at their staggered expressions, Nick pushed his head back onto his neck, adjusted his ruff so that it held his head on straight, coughed and smiled at them.

'So--new Gryffindors! I hope you're going to help us win the house championship this year? Gryffindors have never gone so long without winning. Slytherins have got the cup six years in a row! The Bloody Baron's becoming almost unbearable--he's the Slytherin ghost.'

Arya glanced over at the Slytherin table and spotted the Bloody Baron, gaunt, wide eyed and covered with silvery blood, sitting beside Malfoy, who did not seem at all happy with the seating arrangement.

'How did he get covered in blood?' Seamus asked curiously.

'I've never asked,' Nick said tactfully.

They let the subject drop and returned to their plates. When every last morsel had been eaten, the remnants of the first course disappeared and were replaced by desserts of every shape and kind. The talk turned to their families but Arya carefully avoided saying anything explicit. Harry followed her lead and didn't say much.

Dumbledore stood up again as the desserts, too, faded from the golden plates. 'Ahem-- just a few more words now that we are all fed and watered. I have a few start-of-term notices to give you.' he began. He warned the first years, and the Weasley twins, to stay out of the Forbidden Forest. It was forbidden for a reason.

He also informed them of the no-magic-in-the-corridors rule, of the Quidditch team tryouts the second week of term, and of some unusual news.

'And finally, I must tell you that this year, the third-floor corridor on the right-hand side is out of bounds to everyone who does not wish to die a very painful death,' he said grimly. Harry chuckled but stopped quickly, seeing that he was indeed serious.

'He's not serious?' he muttered to the horn-rimmed boy.

'Must be,' he muttered back. 'It's odd, because he usually gives us a reason why we're not allowed to go somewhere-- the forest's full of dangerous beasts, everyone knows that. I do think he might have told us prefects, at least.'

Before they could head off to bed, they sand the school song, the words rising high into the air made of ribbons that shot from the tip of Dumbledore's wand.

Then Dumbledore shooed them off to bed. The first years were instructed to follow Percy, the horn-rimmed boy, and were led up the big marble staircase in the entrance hall. They only encountered one problem on the way up to Gryffindor tower, in the form of a poltergeist.

Peeves was always a troublemaker. He zoomed up, invisible, and cackled while throwing walking sticks at them. He zoomed away at a threat to fetch the Bloody Baron, and dropped all the walking sticks on Neville's head. They continued until they reached a portrait of a very fat lady in a pink silk dress.

'Password?' she said.

'Caput Draconis,' said Percy. The portrait nodded and swung forward to admit them to a large circular room, decorated mainly in red and gold. There was a fireplace crackling merrily and many, many squashy armchairs, along with tables to work at and a couch or two.

Percy guided them to two winding stairways, pointing the girls up one and the boys up the other, to their dormitories. Arya headed up to bed with the other first year girls: Lavender Brown, Parvarti Patil, and Hermione. Their dormitory was good-sized, with comfy four-posters hung with velvet curtains with it's occupant's trunk at the foot.

Arya changed into her pajamas and collapsed onto the bed, exhausted. It had been an emotionally draining day. She wondered how Harry would fare sharing a dorm with Ron. She only hoped that Ron would come around, realize she hadn't meant any harm. She drifted off to sleep, worrying.


	6. Chapter 6

**CHAPTER 6**

Arya awoke the next morning feeling refreshed and excited. She felt a pang of disappointment at being in Gryffindor instead of Ravenclaw, but it vanished at the recollection that Harry was in Gryffindor, too. She got up quietly, noticing she was awake early, and tiptoed to shower before the others.

By the time she got out the others were awake, not up, but awake. Arya changed into a pair of tight jeans, a tight camouflage T-shirt, and black sneakers. She threw her hair into a messy bun, put on some earthy makeup, and went downstairs.

Harry was standing awkwardly in the common room, glancing around and just standing there. He was wearing just a plain pair of jeans and a loose T-shirt. 'Waiting for me?' Arya asked teasingly as she bounded down the stairs. He did look relieved to see her.

'Yeah, actually,' he said. 'Want to go down for breakfast? They'll be giving us our schedules there. Luckily, all the Gryffindors in our year will be in the same classes.' They walked together all the way down to the Great Hall, Arya assuring that they only got lost once.

'There, look.'

'Where?'

'Next to that girl with black hair.'

'Wearing the glasses?'

'Did you see his face?'

'Did you see his scar?'

Whispers followed them the whole way there, adding to Harry's tension. By the time they got to breakfast, he was in a very agitated mood.

They sat down at the Gryffindor table and pulled many plates of food toward them. They ate in silence for a while. Arya glanced at Harry and saw him looking toward the door. She looked that way, too, and saw the cause of his distraction. Ron was standing indecisively in the doorway, looking around for a place to sit.

'Ron! You can sit with us!' she called hopefully. Ron glanced at her in surprise. His face contorted in a frown and he sat down determinedly between his older brothers again. Arya sighed. 'I guess he really doesn't like us anymore,' she said miserably.

'It's okay,' Harry said. 'You've still got me and I won't leave you. Besides, Ron will have to come back sooner or later. He can't hang out with his brothers forever,' he chuckled, glancing down the table at them. His brothers, twins named Fred and George, were joking and laughing, Ron sandwiched between them, slumping sullenly.

'Yeah,' Arya said, trying to suppress a grin at the look on Ron's face. 'I don't think he likes tagging along with his brothers very much.' They continued eating, though they were more subdued until something happened that knocked them out of their trance immediately.

A hundred plus owls swooped into the hall, drowning out all sound with the whooshing of their wings. They milled around the ceiling, looking for the students to whom their letters and packages were addressed, then dropping down to them.

'Whoa!' Harry said breathlessly. Arya nodded. The owls had given them both a good surprise. Once the owls had flown back out of the Hall, they settled back down to eat their breakfasts.

Eventually, McGonagall came around handing everyone their schedules. 'Better start on our way now so that we have a margin of error, in case we do get lost,' Arya sighed, standing up and leading him out of the hall. She tried to catch Ron's eye as she passed but he sat still, looking stonily at his kippers.

'You? Get lost? I don't think you could get lost if you tried,' Harry joked, following behind her.

'Well, fairies have a very good sense of direction,' she said. 'but that doesn't keep us from getting lost from time to time. Especially half-breeds.'

They made it through their made it through their first four days of classes without great incident. Harry's lurking fear of falling behind the class was wiped away. There was so much to learn that even the kids from pureblood families like Ron's weren't far ahead.

Arya excelled in everything they did. The only person that got close to her level was Hermione Granger. Harry practically marveled at how adept she was with her wand, as did all the teachers. She got at least twenty points from any given teacher every lesson. Except for Snape.

Harry read aloud the note he had gotten at breakfast:

**Dear Harry,**

**I know you get Friday afternoons off, so would you like to come and have a cup of tea with me around three? I want to hear all about your first week. Send us an answer back with Hedwig.**

**Hagrid**

'Oo! Can I come?' Arya asked, handing Harry a quill with which to write a response.

'For sure,' Harry said. 'I'm sure Hagrid would love the extra company.' He scribbled an answer on the back of the parchment, retied it to Hedwig's leg and sent her off again.

After breakfast, Arya and Harry followed the rest of the Gryffindor and Slytherin first years down to double Potions. They filed into the dark, dungeon classroom, eyeing the pickled things in jars very warily. They seated themselves on what was apparently the self-appointed Gryffindor side of the classroom.

A brooding man with a curtain of shoulder-length black, greasy hair, sallow skin, a hooked nose, and cold black eyes, swept into the classroom, his robes billowing behind him. The dungeon fell silent. He began the class by taking role.

When he called out Arya's name, he paused, looked at her for a moment, then continued. When he called out Harry's name, he paused again.

'Ah, yes,' he said softly. 'Harry Potter. Our new -- _celebrity_.'

Draco Malfoy, Crabbe and Goyle sniggered quietly. Snape finished the role call and surveyed the class, looking disgusted.

'You are here to lean the subtle science and exact art of potion-making,' he said. His voice was quiet but they caught every word. He and Professor McGonagall both had the gift of keeping a class absolutely noiseless with only their presence.

'As there is little foolish wand-waving here, many of you will hardly believe this is magic. I don't expect you will really understand the beauty of the softly simmering cauldron with its shimmering fumes, the delicate power of liquids that creep through human veins, bewitching the mind, ensnaring the senses…I can teach you how to bottle fame, brew glory, and even stopper death -- if you aren't as big a bunch of dunderheads as I usually have to teach.'

More silence. Arya caught Harry's eye, looking surprised. Hermione Granger looked eager and willing to prove that she definitely wasn't a dunderhead. Arya thought of laughing at the look on her face, but decided against it.

'Potter!' Snape snapped abruptly, making Harry jump. 'What would I get if I added powdered root of asphodel to an infusion of wormwood?'

Arya looked at him expectantly. She knew the answer but it was clear that Harry didn't. He just stared blankly back at Snape. She rolled her eyes and raised her hand. So did Hermione.

'I don't know, sir,' Harry said uneasily. Snape sneered at him.

'Tut, tut -- fame clearly isn't everything.' He ignored Arya, waiting patiently to see if he would call on her, and Hermione, quivering in her seat and glaring at Arya.

'Let's try again. Potter, where would you look if I told you to find me a bezoar?' Once again, Harry looked completely stumped. Arya left her hand in the air, as did Hermione, who glared at her again and tried to stretch her hand higher than Arya's.

'I don't know, sir.'

'Thought you wouldn't open a book before coming, eh, Potter?'

Arya could see a muscle working in Harry's jaw, and she knew he was getting angry. Snape still ignored she and Hermione's hands.

'What is the difference, Potter, between monkswood and wolfsbane?'

Hermione stood up, unable to keep to her seat and watch Harry suffer to answer what she knew. Arya looked patronizingly at her, but kept her seat and left her hand in the air.

'I don't know,' Harry said calmly. 'I think Hermione and Arya do, though, why don't you ask them?' A couple people laughed at this, but not many. Snape was obviously not amused.

'Sit down!' he barked at Hermione. She did so, looking a little abashed. Arya put her hand down, still looking disdainfully at Hermione. 'For your information, Potter, asphodel and wormwood make a sleeping potion so powerful it is known as the Draught of Living Death. A bezoar is a stone found in the stomach of a goat and it will save you from most poisons. As for monkswood and wolfsbane, they are the same plant, which also goes by the name of aconite. Well? Why aren't you all copying that down?'

Everyone searched their bags for parchment and quills. 'And a point will be taken from Gryffindor House for you cheek, Potter.' Harry glared at him indignantly before trying to remember what he had said so that he could copy it all down.

Later, Snape split them up into pairs to work on a potion to cure boils. Snape, an imposing figure in his billowing black robes, criticized everyone but Malfoy, whom he appeared to favor. Soon, Neville accidentally turn Seamus's cauldron into a molten glob and the potion was seeping across the dungeon floor and burning holes in people shoes and they were all standing on their chairs to avoid the substance.

Neville had been soaked with the potion when the cauldron collapsed, and was now groaning as boils began to cover his entire body.

'Idiot boy!' Snape snapped, vanishing the spilt potion. 'I supposed you added the porcupine quills before taking the cauldron off the fire?' Neville only whimpered in pain. 'Take him to the hospital wing,' Snape instructing Seamus bitingly. Then he turned angrily to Harry and Arya.

'You - Potter - why didn't you tell him not to add the quills? Thought he'd make you look good if he got it wrong, did you? That's another point you've lost for Gryffindor.' Harry looked as though he was about to reply scathingly, but Arya intervened.

'Professor Snape, we didn't know that Neville was adding the porcupine quills too early,' she said quietly. 'We were trying to concentrate on our own potion, we didn't have time to watch everyone else's. It really wasn't our fault at all.' Snape stared at her. No student had ever tried to reason themselves out of a punishment like that.

He didn't respond, just dismissed the class, sweeping back to his desk to grade some of the older students' papers. Arya rolled her eyes; She could tell they would both be on his most wanted list now. Harry looked very dispirited as they climbed the steps up from the dungeons.

'It's okay, Harry,' she said. 'It was only one point. I'm sure things will get easier.'

'I just don't understand why Snape hates me so much,' Harry said miserably.

'He hates all the Gryffindors,' Arya pointed out.

'Yeah, but me especially,' Harry said. 'I can tell. He just seems to despise me for no reason at all. It's really unfair,' he complained, crossing his arms across his chest. Arya sighed at him, then grabbed his hand and dragged him out of the oak front doors to the grounds, laughing.

'It's almost three, let's get to Hagrid's,' she called, still pulling him along behind her. She stopped to allow Harry some time to breathe. 'I'll race you!' she said as soon as he got his breath back.

'Oh, you are so on!' he said smiling at her. 'On you mark, get set, go!' They both set off running at a dead sprint toward the small hut at the edge of the Forbidden Forest. They raced their way down, speeding in front of each other and weaving side to side, anything to try and slow the other down.

They got there in the same amount of time it would have taken them to walk, but it was much more fun. Arya won, but only by a few inches. Then they collapsed in the pumpkin patch, panting and laughing. It took them a moment to compose themselves, then they knocked on Hagrid's front door.

Load booming barks answered, alarming them slightly. '_Back_, Fang - _Back_,' came Hagrid's loud gruff voice from behind the door. His ruddy face appeared through the slightly opened door.

'Hang on. _Back_, Fang.' He opened the door the rest of the way, holding back a huge boarhound, and allowed them entrance to his humble abode. It was one room, with meat and birds hanging from the ceiling, a gigantic bed with a patchwork quilt, and a large copper kettle boiling in the fireplace. 'Make yerselves at home.'

They sat down at the table and sipped the tea Hagrid poured them. They talked about their classes, about the teachers, about themselves for a bit. Then Hagrid said something that nearly made Arya choke on her tea.

'You know, Arya, I knew yer parents.' She stared at him.

'Both of them?' she asked cryptically. She could hardly believe that Hagrid had met her fairy mum.

'Yeah, I was there when they met,' he said. 'It was Christmas Eve, and yer mum was a decoration on one of the Christmas trees. Fairies have a very quarrelsome nature but are really passive if yah want 'em ter be decorative. He saw her in passin' and stopped to talk to her. He couldn't, obviously, so he asked me ter translate for 'em. I did, then taught him fairy-speak, and they fell in love. It was real sweet.' Arya listened to him avidly.

'Wow! So I don't have to pretend that I'm full human around you?' she asked hopefully.

''Course not,' he said, waving a big hand dismissively. 'Even I'm not full human, if you hadn't guessed that by now. Me mum was a giantess. Fridwulfa. She left when I was real young.'

'Wow,' Harry and Arya said in unison.

The conversation eventually steered away from lineage, an uncomfortable subject for all of them, and Hagrid offered them rock cakes. It was a fitting names, seeing as they were every bit as hard as rocks, but Harry and Arya were too nice to refuse them, so they discreetly slipped them into their pockets so as to avoid hurting his feelings.

'Hagrid, what do you know about Snape?' Harry asked, when he finished explaining what had happened in potions class. 'Do you have any idea why he hates me so much?'

Hagrid didn't answer for a moment, but busied himself with making more tea, his back to them. 'Nah, nah, he doesn't hate yer,' he said, still not turning around. 'He has no reason to. He's always been a bit of a sour one, that Snape.'

Arya had a nagging feeling that he wasn't telling them the whole truth, but she dismissed it, supposing they would figure it out eventually, after more hideously intimidating lessons with Snape. After all, they had potions every Friday.

'Oh, goodness me, look at the time,' Hagrid said a few minutes later, catching sight of a large cuckoo clock up on the wall. 'It's nearly six o'clock. Yah better get back up to the castle fer dinner, you two. Wouldn't want you ter miss it 'cause of me.' And he ushered them out the door after making plans to meet again the next week for further discussions.

Harry and Arya disposed of the hidden rock cakes behind a bush by the lake on the way up to the castle, sniggering quietly and covering them with dirt. Then they sprinted back the way they had come, reaching the front doors just as some of the only people that could dampen their mood stepped through it.

'Well, well, Potter. You and your girlfriend off for a good snog?' Malfoy sneered, eyeing their flushed faces and ruffled robes. Crabbe and Goyle cracked their knuckles threateningly, glaring dully at the pair of them.

'She's not my girlfriend,' Harry said calmly, crossing his arms over his chest, mirroring Malfoy's disdainful posture. 'And it wouldn't be any of your business if she was, now would it, Malfoy?'

'If you two weren't snogging then what exactly got you two all disheveled like that?' Malfoy asked dubiously, eyeing them with a kind of scornful distaste.

'Come on, Harry, we don't have to stand here and listen to this git's stupid accusations,' Arya said, taking Harry's hand and leading him past through the doors, past Malfoy and his cronies.

'Well, Elias. Not as keen to fight now, are you?' Malfoy said smugly. Arya stopped for a second, taking a deep breath to calm herself. Then she turned back to Malfoy, who was startled to see a sweet smile on her face. She sauntered up to him, swinging her hips languorously and turning on all the charisma she had.

'Malfoy, Malfoy, Malfoy,' she said lightly, still approaching, making him back up. 'Didn't you learn your lesson on the train? You do remember what happened on the train, don't you? Yes, we wouldn't want to repeat that, would we? Well, you obviously don't, but I would no problem with it, none at all. Get my drift?'

By this point she had backed him into the door. She purposefully let her control slip down a notch, just enough so that her eyes glossed over, turning their pearlescent black. Malfoy squealed and ducked out from under her arm. She snagged him by the collar and slammed him back against the door.

'Leave me and Harry alone, or you will find yourself wrapped up in a cocoon at the bottom of the Black Lake. Got it?' Arya whispered harshly. He nodded tremulously, fear having rendered him incapable of speech. 'Good.'

She released him, her eyes clearing. Malfoy sprinted out range of her grasp and attempted--and failed--to compose himself. He gestured to Crabbe and Goyle in an effort to try and retain some semblance of authority, and lead them quickly down the stone stairway to the dungeons.

Harry came up and put a hand on her shoulder, beaming at her.

'Arya, you're my hero, you know that?' he said, satisfaction at Malfoy's little reality check having boosted his morale a great deal. Arya giggled and nodded. They entered the Great Hall, hand in hand and laughing.


End file.
